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Some readers and politicians will accuse of us falling prey to the "politically correct" police. However you slice it, Ron DeSantis' warning that Floridians shouldn't "monkey this up" by electing his black opponent to governor smacks of race baiting at its worst and lack of common sense at its best.

DeSantis, the GOP nominee for governor, said the following words about Democrat Andrew Gillum Wednesday morning, less than 24 hours after the primary elections, in a Fox News interview:

"The last thing we need to do is monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state," DeSantis said.

The term "monkey up" can be used as synonym for "mess up" or "disrupt." DeSantis' campaign said he "was obviously talking about Florida not making the wrong decision to embrace the socialist policies that Andrew Gillum espouses."

Whatever DeSantis meant to say, he had to know what the words he chose mean. We expect someone smart enough to win a gubernatorial primary to understand the problem with using the word "monkey" while talking about a black man. That's the least we can hope from someone representing the state. Words, specifically ones with a racial undertone, have power and we trust that DeSantis knows the difference.

If DeSantis' comment is any indication, Florida is in for a nasty campaign season before the Nov. 6 election. We can predict a campaign not focused only on the issues, but on personal attacks fueled by DeSantis' top supporter, President Trump, who tweeted Wednesday morning that Gillum is a "failed Socialist."

DeSantis' strategy might backfire by galvanizing Florida voters in the same fashion Trump has mobilized Democrats.

Gillum so far has stayed quiet, allowing the Florida Democratic Party to respond to DeSantis' comment. It's been less than 24 hours since the primary as of the writing of this editorial, so we're bracing for both sides to start mudslinging, whether through their own campaigns or their surrogates.

DeSantis' statement underscores not only the vitriol that permeates our elections and the growing comfort candidates have with flirting with hate language under the guise of breaking with our politically correct culture. It's also a window into the widening political divisions — liberal versus conservative; urban versus rural; white versus black.

DeSantis and Gillum represent the most extreme factions of their parties. Gillum, a one-term Tallahassee mayor, was the progressive candidate backed by Bernie Sanders and liberal mega donor George Soros. Voters picked him over centrist Gwen Graham, who came in second, following a national trend of Democrats choosing left-wing nominees.

Following an endorsement from Trump, DeSantis pulled off an upset against establishment and better-funded candidate Adam Putnam, solidifying the GOP as Trump's party.

In a Gillum-DeSantis matchup, moderates on both sides are left without a choice. The shadow cast by Trump and Soros, a villain to Republicans, over the two campaigns forces voters to choose between two boogeymen. Florida's gubernatorial race is a symptom of what we see in Washington, social media and and on cable TV, where conservatives watch Fox News and liberals MSNBC.

Worse terms than "monkey this up" have been used by our political leaders and worse ones will be used before November. DeSantis has just taken the early lead on that front.

We ask you voters, is this kind of campaign rhetoric in the best interest of Florida? It's up to you to make it stop.

FLORIDA TODAY’s editorials are decided collectively by its Editorial Board. To respond to this editorial in a letter to the editor, email up to 250 words to letters@floridatoday.com. Include your name, place of residence and phone number.